Oblivious
by Forever A Fool of Fortune
Summary: Lily Evans and James Potter have always been oblivious to how they feel about each other. Now, they're getting a kick in the butt, and surprises await them.
1. Always Will

Oblivious

Always Will

Summary: Lily and James have always been oblivious to how they feel about each other. Now, though, they're getting a kick in the butt, or Lily is anyway, and is surprises await them as they escape their narrow-mindedness.

Disclaimer: my name is J.K. Rowling! Worship me! …Hehe just was kidding.

Author's Note: I felt the urge to write this one a while ago. Nineteen and a half pages, baby!

_What tastes sweeter- blood or chocolate?_ The last sentence on the book summary of "Blood and Chocolate"

* * *

First Year

"Evans, Lily!" A short little girl with her hair in pigtails with green ribbons bounced up to the stool, sat on it, crossing her legs, and swung them nervously as Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. _Curious, very curious. You have ambition and slyness, but are loyal to the death, and strong, very strong. You're very smart aren't you child? That's the biggest need for Ravenclaw. But your kindness even outdoes your smarts, so Hufflepuff would be good for you. No, no it wouldn't. Slytherin or Gryffindor? _"Gryffindor, please." _Wonderful manners, my dear girl. Are you sure? Well, then we better put you in Sly- just kidding, _"GRYFFINDOR!" As soon as the hat was off, she jumped off the stool and flounced over to the table applauding for her the loudest. She sent her best smile at them, and looked around at the table curiously.

"'Lo! I'm Black, Sirius Black. But you can call me the hottest boy you've ever seen." Said the boy sitting right next to her, throwing back his head to show off his perfect locks of ebony hair, and his gray eyes were merry. He sent a flashy smiles her way, and she blushed into her lap.

"Hi, Sirius! I'm Lily, and you can just call me Lily." He grinned cheekily at her, and watched the sorting.

"Potter, James!" A short scrawny boy with a thick head of messy jet black hair ambled up to the stool, tripping over his own feet and gave the hall an embarrassed grin, making all the girls swoon. He pushed his glasses farther up his nose and his hazel eyes twinkled jollity. He sat down and smiled at everyone again, and a third year in Hufflepuff or something fainted in the back of the hall. Professor McGonagall scowled, and placed the hat on his head. Immediately his head disappeared into it. _Ah, another Potter! Well, we both know your courage and faithfulness exceeds anything else within your head, though your brains are catching up. And of course, you got that from your mother, she was the smartest Ravenclaw I've seen in a while. Your father worshipped the ground she walked on, you know. Better not fall for the red head. _"Wha-?" "GRYFFINDOR!"

The table applauded, and he grinned crookedly as McGonagall took off the hat, he stumbled off the stool, and then loped over to the Gryffindor table, squeezing in next to Sirius, who slapped him hard on the back in congratulations. Sirius introduced himself with a flair, and then pointed to the girl sitting next to him, who was trying hard to keep the flush in her cheeks from rising. "That's Lily, my boy. Ain't she just a cute little girl?"

Against her will, the flush rose. "Sirius!" She squeaked, "I am not a little girl!"

"Really?" Sirius asked, looking her over openly. James shifted uncomfortably next to him. His mum brought him up to be chivalry when dealing with girls and women. Apparently, Sirius' had not.

"Oh don't bug her, Sirius. Let her be," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, watching the sorting with vacant eyes. Sirius huffed in the seat next to him but stopped staring at Lily with a mock-leer, or a real one James wasn't sure, and watching the sorting. Unawares, Lily looked up and smiled at him, a real genuine smile.

Middle of First Year

Lily was sitting at breakfast calmly eating a bagel with half of it covered in jelly and the other half covered in peanut butter, when someone yanked on one of her pigtails. She yelped, and dropped her bagel, which hit her blouse, then slid down to lie in her lap, and someone, or someone's were laughing behind her. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked back, and James and Sirius were laughing hysterically behind her. The other two boys that hung out with them, a short boy with watery eyes named Paul or something, stood there fidgeting, and the other boy Remus, stood with a sympathetic look in his eyes, but he was fighting down a grin that was very slowly taking over his face.

"James," she muttered, her lower lip trembling as she sniffled to hide back her tears, "you're such a jerk!" The last part was screamed very loudly. Then very calmly, almost a bit too calmly, she poured herself a goblet of orange juice, and then in front of everyone in the hall, dumped it on his head, letting the goblet clang onto the top of his head. And then, with a wretched sob, she fled the hall, leaving behind her bag. Sirius chuckled heavily at James and sat down at the empty spot next to where Lily was sitting. James, whose glasses were filling at the rims, sat down heavily in her recently vacated seat, and shook his head, spraying the boys with it. He looked down and spied her bag, and got an evil grin on his face. Just as he was reaching out to get it, Lily's best friend, Devnee, grabbed it up, purposely hit him in the head with it as she swung around, and ran out of the hall after Lily, slower though because she was carrying both of their bags.

"James," Sirius mocked in a high-pitched voice, "you're such a jerk!" He then stuck his fingers in his water goblet and put them on his cheeks, making the water run down. "Aw wahhh!" He cried, screwing his face up and started mock sobbing.

James, who was actually the one that pulled her pigtail, didn't feel so happy as he should of. He suddenly stood, and muttered to the boys, "I'm going to get in the shower again." And with that, he strode out of the hall.

"What's his problem?" Sirius asked Remus, who shrugged. "Oh well." Sirius said, eyeing greedily the pancakes sitting on the platform right in front of him.

_And so begins Lily's intense despising of the one James Potter.  
_

Second Year

James laughed as Sirius shoved three chocolate frogs in his mouth at once and watched as the frogs tried to hop about in his cheeks. Remus was sleeping in the corner, in the fetal position, and boy did he look like he needed it. Peter was shoving his face full of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, not pausing to actually sample what they taste like.

The door leading into their compartment opened and Lily stuck her head in, not even trying to hide her disgust as Sirius turned toward her and gave her a toothy smile, letting one melted chocolate frog drop out of his mouth and hop toward her. "Lily!" James said happily, "Come join us!"

She ignored him, and told Sirius and Peter, who had his bulging cheeks make him look like a chipmunk, "We're getting to Hogsmeade in about twenty minutes. I suggest you change." She was already in her uniform, her robes looking a bit small as they clung to her shoulders.

"Stay, Lily!" James called, getting up to get his clothes. "I'm sure Sirius won't mind if you stay and let him change in front of you."

She sneered, "You're a disgusting wanker, Potter." She pulled back her head and slammed the door shut so hard it bounced back open.

He ran out of the compartment after her, calling, "Lily, Lily! Oh come on, Lily, I was just joking!" She didn't turn back. "Evans! Come on!" The door to the next boxcar opened and slammed shut behind her.

He sulked back into the compartment, where Peter was trying to shake Remus awake and Sirius was already pulling his muggle shirt over his head, his uniform shirt lying on his chair to change into. He raised his eyebrows as James shut the door softly behind him and slumped into his chair. "So… she's not coming to watch me then?"

Christmas Break

James and Remus snickered loudly as they wrapped the present they were sending to Lily. They were sitting on the floor of James' room in the mansion that the Potters' were heirs to, Sirius was in and had been in the bathroom for a while, and Peter couldn't come. But, anyway, they were sending 'The prank present'. It consists of undiluted bubotuber pus, cockroach clusters that when you start to chew it, they come alive and crawl around in your throat (Sirius thought of that one), and when it would open, the whole box was covered in itching powder. And to top it all off, the only thing that would look innocent enough was the most fun. She wouldn't realize it, but when she drank the mint tea they sent, it was spiked with ink. Her teeth would be black for months! "We need a classy name from who to send it from." Remus said.

"We can't put anonymous?" James asked, put out, just as he finished placing the bow on top of the gift.

"No," Remus shook his head, "she would be wary of that. We need one that means, troublemaker or something."

James stood up; "I'll go ask my parents!" He said excited, and then ran out of the room. Remus pondered it while James was gone. He showed up a few minutes later. "It doesn't exactly mean troublemaker, it means like plunder and pillage, but what about, 'the Marauders'?" He asked, sitting down on the floor in front of Remus, staring at the gift. Very innocent looking gift.

Remus' eyes lit up. "That's perfect!" He cried, standing up and doing a little happy dance. James laughed and fell back onto the floor.

"Shall we send it?" James asked, Remus, who looked like he was getting tired from the dance. He nodded, and James got up, went to his window, flung it open, and called, "Achilles!" A barn owl, yeah a barn owl, swooped in and landed on James' arm, cooing at him. "Send this to Miss Lily Evans. No, I don't know where she lives, but I know you can find her for me." Remus tied it to Achilles leg while James sweet-talked it. Finally, James gave the bird a big kiss and sent it off through the window. When they could no longer see Achilles bird, they grinned evilly at each other, and waited patiently until Christmas.

They heard her scream of outrage at seven o'clock in the morning, Christmas day. They burst out laughing, and couldn't stop until Mrs. Potter barged in and yelled to them and Sirius that if they didn't stop laughing she would gag them with their pillows. They stopped laughing immediately, and when the senior Potters left for the Christmas ball they always attend, they were rolling on the floor, laughing their guts out.

After Christmas Break

"Hey Evans, did you like your Christmas?" James called once they reached Platform nine and three quarters.

She whipped around, slapped him hard in the face, and said, "I know you sent it, you stupid Marauder. I'll get you back, you know I will!" But James wasn't paying to her words, oh no. He was paying attention to her teeth. When she stormed off in a huff, he turned and looked at Remus and Sirius, smiling guiltily.

"Still black." And then they howled with laughter, and hopped nimbly up onto the train, ready to junk out on more candy. It was their best prank yet, James knew, but then, why did he feel so bad?

Third Year

Lily frowned, and looked at herself in her hand mirror as Devnee talked on and on about her boyfriend that she made in the States over break. Lily didn't look any different than she did when she was twelve, or eleven, or ten. Her crimson locks frizzed about her head and she could never do a think about it. She grimaced. She had a pimple. Okay, a few pimples scattered about her face, very noticeable. She looked down at her chest. She laughed to herself. She was a pirates treasure, a sunken chest. Devnee, okay, she was the exact opposite of Lily. She had… well, Lily wasn't going to go into details, but let's just say guys drool and follow her wherever she goes.

"Lilypoo!" Was called somewhere down the hall, and Lily instantly groaned and huddled away from the door, trying to look inconspicuous. Not working well, her hair stuck out. "Ready or not, here I come!" Lily shuddered. It sounded like a low-budget horror film comes to life. Not good, not good, not good. And then she heard it. It made her squeak in terror. He was slamming open the doors, one by one, each time calling, "Lilypoo!" And he was getting close, very close.

The door suddenly swung open. "Lileeee! It's so good to see you!" Lily wanted to smack herself, but she was lifted out of her corner and set on her feet. "Lilyeeee!" Sirius called again in that highly annoying voice, before grabbing her up by the waist and swinging her around.

"Sirius, calm down." Remus said, "You're going to make her hurl."

Sirius finally swung her around one last time and then stood her on her feet. She wobbled and fell back into… oh good lord, Potter. "Whoa there, Evans." He said, his voice very nicely deep, making her want to fall to her knees even more. Wait what the crap is she talking about? It's POTTER.

"It's not like I want to be near you, Potter." Then she pushed herself off him and landed… on Remus. He gently grabbed her arms and set her next to Devnee, and then sat down on the bench that Lily had been sitting in before she heard Sirius.

Pie sat down next to Remus, and Sirius placed himself between the two girls, leaving James to sit adjacent to Lily. She pointedly ignored him, but bared her teeth at him when she removed Sirius' arm that he threw over her shoulder. James snickered. "Ah, Lily, don't bare your teeth at Jamsie, he'll just want to taste them." Sirius told her, nonchalant.

"Uck!" Lily and James shouted at the same time, trying to get as far away from each other as possible. Lily, sadly, decided that it would be much easier to lean toward Sirius then to lean toward the door.

"Oh, Lily!" Sirius called in an awestruck voice. "I didn't know you felt the way I feel for you!" Lily, her eyes wide, slowly tried to back away. "Oh come here, you big lug!"

"She's not a big lug, you idiot. She is a small… lady." James said.

"Whatever. Come here you small lady!" Sirius called, then gathered Lily up in his arms, and kissed her senseless. When he finally pulled back she spat. He had tried to use tongue.

"That was gross!" She cried, as the boys all stood, Remus shaking his head, James had an odd unreadable expression on his face, and Pedro was laughing.

"Glad to be of service, milady!" Sirius said, as he threw the door open. He was the last to leave, so he turned around, tipped his imaginary hat, blew a kiss at her as he winked, and shut the door behind him. She looked back at Devnee and widened her eyes. She was still talking. She didn't even realize the boys came in at all.

Exams 

"Hey, hey Evans!" Lily whipped around, her eyes narrowed, her wand held tightly to her chest. James eyebrows went up. _Well, her chest certainly got bigger._ Then he gagged and mentally kicked himself. What is he thinking?

"What, Potter? Need Charms notes? Potions? Don't tell me you need it in Transfiguration!"

"Charms and History of Magic please." Then he shook his head, as she dug into her bag and copied her notes and gave them to him.

"Go out with me?" He asked, and her neck snapped up. She looked at him, incredulous.

"What?" She asked, her teeth clenched together.

"Go out with me, please?" His eyes looked at her pleadingly.

"No." Then she walked quickly away, throwing a look over her shoulder, and she frowned at what looked like genuine melancholy.

Fourth Year

James was utterly bored. He needed something to do. Remus had told he and Sirius and Peter that he was a werewolf at the end of second year, begging them not to tell anyone. They didn't. But, they still couldn't help him out; they still had about a year of Animagus training to do. Hell, they didn't even know what forms they were yet.

Ah, he did have something to do. The ladies. He snickered evilly, got up, and left. He had had three, wait did he say three? Oh, silly James. He meant thirty. Yes, thirty girlfriends in the last year. Well, don't blame him. Sirius had more than fifty.

And, Aw crap, he was having those dreams again. Yeah, the dreams. Involving a leather whip and fishnet stockings, and the Minister of Magic's desk. Delectable… he shuddered as he remembered a rather good dream to him about… _Evans_. He shivered, and it wasn't the thought of Evans.

What was up with him? No idea. Good Lord, is he talking to himself? "Yup." Okay, so he is. Oh he has got to go find someone to talk to. He started walking out of the train compartment, and looked at his watch, and gawked at it. It was ten thirty. And he had been in the compartment more than fifteen minutes.

And guess whom he walked right into. That's right. "Hhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllloooooo, Snivellus!" James said cheerfully, patting Snape hard on the back. "How ya been?"

"Potter…" Snape trailed off warily, edging away from James.

"Don't curse him, Potter! Or I'll hit you so hard you won't know who the hell you are!" James whipped around and grinned sweetly.

"Don't worry, my Lily Flower, I'm just talking to dear Severus here." He told innocently. He turned back to Severus, "Aren't we?"

He narrowed his eyes at him, but said to Lily, "Yes, we were."

Lily snapped at James, "Oh don't lie to me Potter. I know you were about to jinx him into next year."

James grinned at Lily. "So you're saying I could do that?"

She immediately scowled at him. "You could hex him into two seconds ago. I could jinx him into eternity."

"You couldn't do anything to me, Mudblood." Lily gasped, and backed up instinctively. "Stupid little Lily Evans. Aw, what you going to do? Gonna cry?" Severus sneered, not noticing James puffing up standing next to him. "Oh cry baby-"

James and Lily cut him off at the same time. James, "SHUT UP, YOU STUPID PRICK!" While Lily, being the ever-conservative one smashed her fist into Severus' jaw.

"Never call me that fowl name again!" She growled, then she looked at James, and he could see the tears welling up in her eyes, but she stormed away before he could get a word out.

As soon as Lily was gone, James rounded on him, his wand pointed at him, muttered, "_Riddikulus!_" Snape immediately was clothed into a lacy, ruffle, pink, and poka dot bikini. Then he grinned at Snape, "Have a nice dance," and winking he shouted, "_Tarantallegra!_"

He then jumped away, and watched laughing, as Snape started doing the dance. "Later, Sniv."

Some Midnight

Lily walked quickly through the halls, standing in the dark and peering around the corners. Why was she doing this, you may ask? The girls' bathrooms smell. Someone must of taken a crap in it and didn't flush or something. She was just about to jog to the, oh damn, the second floor girl's bathroom, when a hand came out and swung her around, before swinging her into a cloak. "Lily." Sirius said, seriously, and they walked forward again.

Lily stopped breathing. "Uh, hi guys." She said, looking at Remus and Pip, who both nodded at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course there's something wrong, Evans." James said gruffly, marching forward with more harshness then he was really feeling. In truth, he was delighted to see her. "It must be two in the morning, and you're wandering the halls, alone. Hello, ever heard of the teachers? Ghosts? Peeves?" He let the last word out in a hiss, and marched forward faster, making she and the other boys struggle to keep pace.

"Slow down, James." Pen huffed, but James wasn't paying any attention now. Sirius tossed a glance over to Remus, who shrugged, worried. They walked faster. Lily, finally, feeling her bladder about to explode and her legs ache, reached forward, grabbed a fist full of James' shirt, and pulled him back.

"Slow down, you stupid boy." She said, feeling herself wobble as James over stepped into her. And the added weight caused her knees to buckle, and well, they, Lily and James, fell onto the ground. All the boys snickered, Sirius gave the other two boys looks, and the other three Marauders ran away… with the cloak.

"They took the fucking map with them!" James swore in the silence. Lily was gasping beneath James' weight, and he was having trouble getting up, each time falling back onto her stomach. Making her gasp all the more. It was the gasping that was making him more nervous more than anything was it was making him remember the dreams he had about her over the summer. He finally flipped over, and her eyes got wider. He grinned. "Good thing you don't where pigtails in your hair anymore."

"Whatever, Potter; just get off me."

"I can't." He said simply.

"Why?"

"It seems that somehow during the fall, while I landed on you, you somehow wrapped one of your legs around me, and I'm not going to touch it, for my mum told me to be a man who was full of chivalry. So, it's your leg, you remove it."

She was about to retort, when her eyes got impossibly bigger. "James," she squeaked, and he was very shocked. She hadn't said his first name since…the middle of first year. Three and half years since he heard his name from her lips. And to him, it sounded heavenly.

"What?"

"Are you," she blushed horribly, she had only heard about this stuff happening from Devnee, and trashy paperback romance novels. "You…" He raised an eyebrow, telling her to spill it out, pardon the pun, "are you getting…stiff?"

Stiff? What did she mean by- oh dear lord. He blushed crimson and began flailing around, trying to get up. "Your leg, its still stuck." And then he paused, and his eyes widened. "Filch. Filch is coming, get up, come on, Lily, get up!" He whispered hurriedly, and hopped up, her leg wrapped around his ankle. Lily learned a few things that night.

One: She and James are _very_ bad at three-legged races.

Two: You can smell Filch from far off. Stronger the smell, closer he is and faster he's moving.

Three: Always make sure you have James Potter to protect you once Filch has his eyes on you.

Four: Always have an invisibility cloak. Best thing ever. And the Marauders' Map. Whatever that is.

Five: When you need to show someone up, do it with James Potter.

Six: You do not want to stand between two guys when you really have to pee. Not good, especially if one you know is going to rant the whole… morning.

And the best thing is last. Seven: If he, Potter, brings something up that sounds reminiscent, do it.

Lily wore her hair in pigtails with green ribbons the day after. And James grinned like he hadn't in a long time.

Fifth Year

"Bloody Potter!" Sirius mocked, dancing around Lily, who was flushed, giving him her best, I'm going to kill you with your sock, look. Well, it was true. James was bloody. Lily just punched him in the nose. Well, he was tempting her!

Ever since he saw her get on the Platform, he had been asking the question. "Will you go out with me? Go out with me? Go out with me?" He didn't even take the time to let her say no. Well, apparently he was a very determined boy…guy… lad… man… thing.

"Will you go out with me?" James said, tipping his head back to keep the blood in. He looked at her through his nose, giving him an out of it, cross-eyed look.

Lily finally too annoyed to care what she was saying, blurted, "I will if you stop asking me!" And the boys stared at her.

"Really?" He asked, looking at her normally, not noticing that blood was slowly soaking into his white shirt.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "In your dreams, Potter."

"But you are in my dreams!" She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and to make James gawk even more, and Sirius too, she wiggled her hips a bit at them as she walked. Too bad they weren't the only guys who watched her go.

James glared at all the boys staring after him. "Back off, toe-rags!" He pulled himself up to make him look impossibly taller and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, seemingly forgetting that blood was still falling out of it in steady waves. "She's mine!"

He heard distantly, down the hall, "No, I'm not!" All the boys laughed at his expression, which was dark and scowling.

"You will be!" He called.

"Don't hurt your nose, Potter. It might have popped your inflated head!"

"When's I get an inflated head?" He asked, hurt.

She finally came out of the apartment she was yelling in and told him, "When you started hanging out with Sirius Black." She ran her hand down his cheek. "You were always a very cute eleven year old, even after you pulled my pigtails."

"Am I still cute now?" He asked eagerly.

She laughed at him, mocking. "We'll see once your head is the size it's supposed to be." Then she leaned closer to him. "Punch Sirius in the nose for me, will you? So you'll look even more the same." She patted his cheek fondly and left.

She went back into the compartment, but not before sending a look back at him.

Sirius looked at James. "She has never done that before."

James looked at Sirius with a weird look in his eyes. His fist shot out and punched Sirius square in the nose. He fell back, clutching his nose. "What was that for?" He cried out, bewildered.

James responded mechanically, "Because Lily told me to."

O.W.L's

Page 641-649 American Hardback Edition 

But this is before that.

He came to her again, just like he had in third year. But this time he actually needed the notes. "Hey, Evans-!"

"No, Potter, I will not go out with you." She said, as per usual.

"I wasn't asking for a date." She stopped dead, and turned around.

"That's a first." She then asked him casually, "Whatcha need, Potter?"

"Notes."

"Which ones?"

"All of them."

She choked. "All of them?"

He cupped his hand around his ear. "Is there an echo in here?"

"Fine." She handed them to him, and nodded at the notes. He did his transfiguration, and then took his copy of the notes back. "Bye, Potter."

He watched her go, clutching the notes in his hands, staring mournfully after her. If she had turned around, like she sometimes did, she would have noticed, a tear falling onto his notes. But she didn't, and he promised himself that one-day, he would get her. And he hoped it would be soon.

Sixth Year

James quietly watched Lily in a corner as she talked, okay flirted, with Amos Diggory. Diggory puffed up and was strutting, talking about himself. Lily would laugh, and slap him on the arm sweetly as she did it. He didn't understand why she liked Diggory better than him. He did the same things Amos did! Talk about himself.

James then watched as Amos tried to kiss Lily. She slapped him hard in the cheek, curled her long, slender fingers into fists, almost punched him, but then thought better of it, stomped around like a three year old having a temper tantrum, and ran away.

Okayyy. That was new. Lily Evans was learning from James Potter on how to throw a tantrum. She was running so hard and fast, she didn't realize where exactly she was running. Right into the forest. James watched horrified, ran into the forest after her, and transformed into Prongs.

Did she even realize what is in the forest? He thought, galloping after the black robes he saw, swishing in and out of sight. He caught her scent and almost fell over becoming so wrapped up in it. What was that smell? Vanilla, Lilac, and, he almost laughed, lilies.

Oh dear lord, she's running straight to the centaurs. He burst out of his stag form, called "Lily Evans! Don't you dare go any further!" He saw her fall, and he ran farther into the woods, snagging his clothing and robes, feeling branch after branch whip him in the face. And then he dove. Right into the center of the huddle.

Right into a crapload of Death Eaters.

With Lily standing right next to him.

He looked around and choked back nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing. He choked out, "Hello,"

"Potter!" A man who just apparated called, "I was wondering when you were going to show."

"It really is great to see you, Lucious, truly. But me and Lily really have to be going now," he said, grabbing Lily's wrist and tugged her.

"Oh not yet! You cannot possibly leave right now. We have something we need you for." James gulped nervously, and Lily un-entwined her wrist from his hand, and instead put her hand in his own, clenching it, her knuckles white.

"I see," James said, trailing off. "We're waiting for Voldemort then?"

All the Death Eaters hissed. "Don't say his name!" They all chanted at once.

"Why?" James and Lily asked. "What's wrong with it? Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort!" Lily taunted.

"That's the Dark Lord, to you, Miss Evans. Mr. Potter, glad you're here."

James turned and moved so Lily was closer to him. "Anything for you, Voldemort." He grinned tightly, and started slowly to back up. "Now, really. Lily and I are going to miss our classes." Voldemort was already a threat to the world, a threat that Lily had tried hard to ignore. But it wasn't going to work anymore.

"Oh, no, you're going to miss Transfiguration!"

James cocked his head to the side. "How'd ya know?"

Score one for Potter. "What?" Voldemort asked, perplexed.

"There's the bell, gotta go!" James said, abruptly jumping into action, punching a random death eater in the jaw as he elbowed another in the gut and kicked another in the stomach. Lily was pulling down her fair share, she got a lot of them by shoving her palm up their noses, feeling as the bone moves and collides with the brain, and the Death Eaters died. Haha, Death Eaters died… sorry. Whoever was surviving apparated away in fright, until only Lily's dead and James' seriously injured lay unconscious in the leaves. And of course Voldemort. And Lily and James as well.

James had Lily shoved behind him protectively, and watched with narrow eyes as Voldemort stared him down. Suddenly, Voldemort cried out, "_Crucio!_" James immediately fell to his knees letting the pain of the curse take over him. He felt like every piece of his skin, every cell, was being pulled off his body at the same time, the muscles being torn out until his beating heart was left in a skeleton. His screams echoed through out the forest, and he was withering in the pain.

Lily moved forward and kicked the wand out of Voldemort's hand, making it soar into the air and land twenty yard behind him. In a tree. Lily pulled James up and started sprinting away, as James struggled behind her. "James, James, _come_ _on_." She kept whispering, each word with a harder tug and her legs moving faster, each time James slowed just a tiny bit more.

"Don't worry, Miss Evans, I'll come for you and Mister Potter soon!" Reached her ears with so much force she actually fell to her knees, making James topple over her and land face first in the leaves. She heard the crack of Voldemort leaving and lunged forward, grabbing James around the waist and cried, holding him there, her face in his stomach, while he fainted dead away.

And that would be how Dumbledore found them. Lily had her arms wrapped around James' waist, her face buried in his dirty shirt, and James flat on his back on the ground. He levitated them to the Hospital Wing, and let them sleep for a very, very long time.

The Letter

Lily sat quietly eating her lunch, not paying attention in the slightest to Devnee, who was flirting it up with Sirius, all over him, practically in his lap. James slid into the seat right in front of her, and sent her an apologetic look. She tried to smile but only one half of her lip lifted and the smile was rather watery. He tilted his head and gave her a quizzical look.

She shook her head at him. He gave her a more persistent look, and she gave him a more valiant look. He stomped on her foot. She kicked him in the shin. He gave her an even more persistent look, stomped on her foot, and let it stay there. She struggled, and he smiled. He was stepping on her good foot.

She groaned. He made an urgent sound in the back of his throat. "Evans." He said, looking at her sternly.

"Potter."

"Evans."

"Potter."

"Evans."

"Potter."

"Black!" Sirius butted in cheerfully.

They both sent a glare his way, and he pulled a hurt face. They didn't care.

"Lemme see it."

"No."

"Lemme see it." He said to her, his teeth clenched, but to anyone who might have been listening he sounded very calm. He even pored he and her a goblet of orange juice. Just before he gave it to her, he gave a ghost of a smile, and whispered, "Don't pour it on my head please."

She wiped her eyes, which he just noticed were red. "I promise I won't."

"Good." As he handed over the goblet, she reluctantly handed over the letter. "You sure?" He asked her.

She shrugged, emotionless. "It won't matter now, it's all ready been done."

His eyebrows soared up. "Look, if you don't want me to-"

"Just do it, James."

He pulled the letter close to him and hunched his shoulders, taking care that no one around would see it. He re-read it a few times, and she took careful measured sips of her orange juice. "I'm sorry," he whispered faintly, and Lily strained to hear him. No one else would have been able to hear what he said.

She shrugged again. "I can't do anything about it. It doesn't matter."

"But your parents are dead." He said, not looking up from the paper.

"I know, I saw."

"You should be, kicking, screaming, crying! But you're not doing anything."

"I express my emotions when they reach extremes. Especially in situations like this."

"I'll… I'll cry for you."

"You cry?"

He finally looked up from the letter. "I've cried everytime you've said no."

"I don't mean to hurt you that much."

"It doesn't matter, it was long past." But then he raised his eyebrows at her. "Go out with me?"

She sighed, and his face fell. "I would rather have a friend then a boyfriend right now, James. But… you can be my friend."

"Do you, uh, wanna stay with my family for the summer?"

She looked up; her dull eyes hitting him like that Crucio curse. "Sure."

"I have to warn you, Sirius lives with me. He ran away a few years back."

"I'll be fine." He smiled, for once, removed his feet from hers, and calmly chatted with her about school, not even breaching the wall she had built around her heart for her family.

Seventh Year

"I'm Head Boy, I'm Head Boy, I'm Head boy!" James said, bursting into Lily's room and dancing around. She grunted and turned over, in her bed. He stopped dancing, flung himself on top of Lily, making her grunt more, and started chanting quietly in her ear, "I'm head boy, I'm head boy!" Each time getting just a little bit louder.

Sirius walked past her opened door in just his boxers, which were green plaid, brushing his teeth, and looked in. "James, Lily, if you want to really do it that bad, at least shut the door."

"Good morning, Sirius." Lily said, unabashed. She looked at Sirius through James' arms, where he was holding himself up over her on his hands and knees. "You can join if you need to, threesome." Sirius' toothbrush hit the floor, and with a battle cry, threw himself onto James' back, making him let out a puff of air, and his arms collapsed, and he landed on top of Lily.

Sirius got up and started prancing around. "That was fun! Let's do it again."

James and Lily, both simultaneously, cried out, "NO!" Then Lily sighed, shoved James, making him roll off her and told Sirius, "There will be no more boxers in my bed then necessary."

Sirius flung himself between Lily and James, wrapped an arm around both their shoulders, and squeezed them tightly to him. "This _is_ necessary." He kissed them both on the lips, and they both ignored it. He had done this every day. "Just think about it. After this year, I probably won't ever see you guys again! You'll both get married, shag like rabbits, have a load of kids that look like Jamsie except for his eyes, they'll have your eyes, and you'll have enough for a whole Quidditch team!"

He got an awestruck look in his eyes, and kind of, faded away. "Oh yeah Sirius, we are going to shag like rabbits." Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"And I'll be the godfather!" Sirius said, jumping back into it. "And it'll be me and Remus and we'll spoil the kids rotten." He sighed, clutching the other two tighter. They sent looks of discomfort to each other over Sirius' oblivious head. "Living the good life. Can I live with you guys?"

Lily quickly changed the subject and tried to wriggle out of Sirius' arms. "I need to go see my letter, and, uh, James needs to use the bathroom! Right James?"

"Wha? Oh, yeah, right. I gotta crap really bad." And then they ran out Lily's room, leaving Sirius to think that his dream was coming together.

Five minutes later, Sirius laughed, as he heard, "I'M HEAD GIRL! I'M HEAD GIRL! DIDJA HEAR THAT, JAMES! I'M HEAD GIRL! BOO YAH!" Then she stopped, and Sirius heard James clatter down the stairs.

Sirius, sighing, tottered down the stairs just in time to see Lily kiss James happily, making James have a dazed look on his face. But Lily and James intertwine both their hands, and jump up and down, screaming, "We're Heads! We're heads!"

Sirius, rolling his eyes laughing, jumped the rest of the stairs and started hopping toward them, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Potter's heads! Potter's heads! Potter's heads!" Lily unlinked her hands from James and fell down to the ground laughing. "What?" Sirius asked James, who stood there looking down at Lily.

"Potter's heads!" She finally laughed out, tears streaming from her eyes from mirth. And then James suddenly got it, going very red in the face and laughed loudly.

"Oh…!" Sirius said, getting it. "You're so perverted Lily."

She looked up at him. "Look who's talking."

He said to her with a small smile on his face, "I am looking at the person who's talking."

She scoffed at him. "You are stupid." But then she brightened up. "But why do I care? I'm head girl!" Then she got up, kissed James squarely on the mouth again, and gave Sirius a fat wet kiss as well.

Ten minutes later, she came back down, smiling proudly, as she bore a shirt that said, "Kiss me, I'm Head Girl." James and Sirius kissed her all day long, fervently. And when Remus came over, he gave her a very heated kiss as well.

When Lily was getting ready for bed, she inspected herself in the mirror. She looked and smirked at James, who just leaned on the doorway of her bathroom smiling slightly. "I think my lips are going to be swollen forever."

He shrugged. "Ah, well, it doesn't look that bad on you. But me, well. I look terrifyingly bad after a hard kiss." He then pushed himself off her doorframe and said, "Example." And then, very slowly, he leaned down, looked her straight in the eyes, and kissed her long and gently.

She pulled back, breathless. She looked up at him, starry eyed, and said, "That wasn't hard."

He laughed out loud. "Good. I love you Lily, really I do."

"I love you too, James." And then he kissed her again.

"Knock, knock, Lilly Billy, I was just coming to tuck you in and give you a good night ki- I see that James is taking care of that..." Sirius said, bursting through Lily's bedroom door and skipped to the bathroom where she usually was at this time at night. And he saw their snogging reflection before he saw them. "I'll just be going now…" he said, walking quickly backward, he slammed into the bed and fell on top of it, before scrambling up and went into the hall, shutting the door quickly behind him, before breathing hard against the door and grinning.

They didn't even notice he came in.

N.E.W.T'S

James skipped up to Lily, wrapped an arm around her stomach and tilted her backwards so he gave her a kiss in front of everyone close by, before letting her up and jogged around her like a puppy. "Lily, Lily, Lily, Lily!" He said, talking fast.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes?" She said, looking at him with a smirk in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks.

"Can I borrow the notes?" She looked put out, and he grinned quickly and kissed her again. All the girls around them went, "Awww!" And he grinned embarrassed. "Wait, nevermind, I'll just go over them with you in the Head's room tonight."

A Ravenclaw sixth year with a tongue on her called out, "And maybe do more than go over _them_, if you know what I mean."

James swiveled his head to the girl and grinned widely. "We know what you mean." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, before lifting Lily up, making her blush horribly, and he pranced off to the Head's Room.

"James!" Lily said, looking at him with her head resting on her chest. "You are so… ergh! You're so… you!"

"I take that as both a comment and an insult, my fair Lily."

She laughed lightly against his chest; her head still tilted up so he felt her breathing against his throat. He shivered and she giggled helplessly, as he bounded up to the portrait of the two pineapples, one wearing a dress and the other a bow tie and a top hat, dancing. "Come what may." James said, seriously, and the girl pineapple looked at him and sent him a kiss. He blushed, and Lily glared at the pineapple, but the pineapples opened the portrait for them anyway.

"Well, that was fun." Lily said, as James dropped her on the nearest love seat and fell on top of her.

"Agreed," he agreed, then added, "But this will be fun too."

She rolled her eyes at him light heartedly, and kissed him on the mouth gently before trying to move beneath him. "I thought we were going to study," she said looking up at him.

He pouted, letting his lower lip stick out so far it almost touched Lily's nose. "Blah," he said, suddenly heaving himself off her so he could sit at her feet, letting them rest in his lap while he stroked her ankle. "Studying isn't fun."

She nodded distractedly. She suddenly smiled. "James," she said, making him look at her face rather than watch his hands stroke her feet, "have you realized ever since third year you have come for notes every other year?"

He laughed. "Guess you're right, my darling. Oh!" He said, standing up suddenly, making her legs fall to the floor. "Sorry," he said, smiling sadly. "I have a note that I need to give you." And with that, he bounded up the stairs to his dormitory, making Lily wonder if he was entirely sane.

He trampled down the stairs and stumbled over the last one, and Lily had the instant memory of when he stumbled his way up to the Sorting Hat.

"Here!" He said, giving her a folded many times over piece of paper. She raised an eyebrow at him but took the note anyway, unfolding it painfully slow until she saw from the corner of her eye James flexing his fingers, wanting to rip it out of her hands. She unfolded the rest quickly. Something fell heavily into her lap, but she didn't look down to see it.

_**Lily,**_

_**I don't know how to say this, so I'll just blurt it out. I've never been very good with words, and I'm sure that you of all people should know that. But, no longer holding out on what I'm trying to say. Will you marry me? If you say no, I'll be fine. I'll love you forever anyway.**_

_**Always loving and adoring you,**_

_**James**_

She felt the tears prickle her eyes, and she looked down at her lap, sniffing loudly. There in her lap was a gold ring, ruby hearts encircling a huge emerald rock. She picked it out of her lap and admired it, before looking at James with glassy eyes. She nodded, smiling unable to choke anything out.

He let out a big puff of air that he didn't know he was holding, and gently picked up her hand, putting the ring on her finger. He kissed her hand and looked at her. "Love you," he said, his voice trembling.

She smiled again and threw her arms around his neck, clutching him to her tightly. "I love you too, James. And I always will."

...Well? Did you guys notice that I kept changing Peter's name? I thought that was fun.

Like it? Or do you hate it? Well, whatever it is, please review!


	2. Tears in Heaven

Oblivious

Tears in Heaven

Summary: Lily and James have always been oblivious to how they feel about each other. Now, they're getting a kick in the butt and surprises await them. COLLECTION OF ONE-SHOTS, NONE GO TOGETHER WITH THE LAST ONE.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling. I think that explains it.

Author's Note: uh, I sort of got the story from a lesson in the Bible. Well, the main part was James, watching down the road, every day. Lily and James sort of have amnesia. They don't remember anything that happened in their life until it sort of shows up.

"You're crazier than a suitcase." That would be my brother.

* * *

A rocking chair painted white creaked on a wood front porch of a two story white cottage. The windows were open and the smell of cherry pies just out of the oven wafted leisurely in the warm spring air. The well behind the house looked almost cheery, like it was a real person. A young man stared hard down the dirt road he called his driveway, directing his gaze to where the green, lush pasture began and the dense forest ended. He took his glasses off his nose and wiped them peacefully on his white T-shirt before moving them farther up on the bridge of his nose, each hand clenched on the thin arm rests of his chair. His gaze never wavered. This was his usual day.

He saw a figure walking towards the house from far off, and he squinted through his glasses, but didn't move an inch.

The man he saw had long hair that was usually frazzled, but now it was sleek and shiny, just how he remembered it. His steel eyes were warm and confident, and he strode with that confidence in his gait. He always moved like that.

When the man in the chair could see the man's features from far off, he jumped out of his chair in glee and jumped over the stairs, then started loping toward the other man, who was doing the same toward him. They collided in a strong man hug. They cried out each other's names at the same time, "James!"

"Sirius!" They hugged again, and James pulled back. "You finally made it." He grinned boyishly, wrapped an arm over Sirius' shoulders, and they started walking to the cottage. "We've been waiting for you."

Sirius suddenly stopped moving, and his nose twitched. "Cherry?"

"Just for you." Sirius yelped in delight and bounded up the path, jumped over the stairs and walked right into the house. James grinned as he heard Lily squeal.

"Those pies just came- YOW!" She started to scold, but then Sirius' yowl finished off the sentence. "Never touch a pie when its cooling down, you cod!" He grinned as he heard Lily insult Sirius. He sighed, just like old times.

James guffawed and slowly went up the stairs, walking like an old man, taking his good ole time. After all, you had eternity once you're in Heaven. And James had been in Heaven for fourteen years.

He did this everyday. Listens to Lily tell Sirius sternly not to touch the pies, for he would burn. Each time, though, he didn't listen, and James always heard him howling in pain from his rocking chair on the porch.

* * *

He was tired. Always tired, always weary, always sad. Everyone around him was dying, almost everyone he ever loved already had.

* * *

James creaked in his chair, watching where lush green pastures began and the dense forest ended. The last person that had come came two years ago, in regular time standards, he guessed.

* * *

He twitched his hand through his graying hair and pushed through the trees, but they seemed to be closing in closer to him. So this is Purgatory. He had to escape his demons. The forest reminded him of one he had known when he was younger. But when he looked at his hands, he _was_ younger, if just in body. His heart and mind were wizened with many years passed, and the demon that resided in him made him even older.

He erupted out of the trees and fell into a clear patch that was just grass, surrounded by trees. He looked up at the sky, and a full moon glared down at him. He got ready for the pain, the howling, but it didn't come. He howled at the moon, just for curious pleasure. It didn't sound like a howl at all, but someone screaming, off pitch. He bit it off, and ran into the trees. Okay, so he knew that werewolves and vampires were the dammed, but apparently he was a very good werewolf. "Thank you, God." He mumbled, falling out of the trees, and landing on a plain dirt road.

* * *

It was silent, for once, in the small cottage that Sirius had sweetly nicknamed 'the Rabbits' Hole,' and that made Lily and James throw him out of the house for two days. He slept on the porch. But now, the lights were out, and all the lovely three occupants of the cottage were sound asleep. Or, two rather. He was out on the porch again, waiting, watching.

He heard the other man hit the ground from far off, and immediately stood, squinting his eyes to try and see in the darkness. He looked up at the sky, full moon. James looked back down at the man and tilted his head. No, could it be? The man was weak on the day of the full moon, after all. And that was so like… it is! James, just like he did with Sirius, ran off the porch and jumped the steps, loping toward the other man quickly.

It took longer for him to reach the other man then he thought, but he still reached him, gathered him up in his arms, and blubbered. "Remus!" He cried, and clutched him tighter.

Remus groaned and tried to sit up, but he couldn't, for James was holding him rather tightly. "James?" He asked, confused. When did James show up?

"Yes, yes! Oh, Remus, I can't believe you're here, it's been so boring, and you have no idea. Everyday Sirius burns himself trying to eat the cherry pies that Lily bakes and it got rather boring, to me anyway, after the fifth week. He even nicknamed the house! 'Rabbits' Hole.' Do Lily and me really do it that often? I didn't know we did it that often, really."

Remus nodded his head. James was rambling again. "I wouldn't know James, I've never been to Lily's and yours house before, even when we were alive. And well, I'm sure that would get boring, do the burns heal over everyday? Interesting…" Then he perked up, and asked James with big, round amber eyes, "Does Lily make Key Lime Pie?"

James laughed through his tears, and let Remus down so he could get up and help Remus up. "I didn't love her and marry her just because she can make pies." But then he smiled. "But that is a bonus." And with that, James helped Remus hobble their way to the Rabbits' Hole, where, somehow, there was a fresh, warm, Key Lime Pie sitting on the kitchen table, waiting for them.

Remus gobbled it down, and Lily, who was watching them in the doorway, laughed. "It seems the only reason that you men stay here is for my pies. Really, that's unhealthy." Then she came in and hugged Remus tightly, kissing him on the cheek. "Welcome to the home of James and Lily Evans Potter. Stay here as long as you wish."

* * *

He was shivering in the cold, the pouring rain, crying over the last Marauder's body, which was bloody and his bones were showing out of his skin and he was twisted and crumpled beyond measure. Everywhere around him lay dead bodies, but they were all Death Eaters. Remus Lupin was a much more powerful wizard then he had previously thought. He took out all the Death Eaters a mile around, alone.

* * *

"Remus! Buddy ole pal ole buddy!" Sirius said, walking into the kitchen with the bottom half of his pajamas on. He cocked his head to one side. "You look," he cocked his head to the other side, "different."

Remus looked up at him with some pie hanging out of his mouth. He wiped it on the back of his hand and Lily tutted in James' arms, but they both grinned at him. "I look seventeen, Sirius. You do as well. And so do James and Lily."

Sirius sat down, looked at what was left of Remus' pie, which was about half, picked it up, and shoved it in his mouth. "Sirius!" Lily screamed getting out of James' arm, took the pie that was sticking out of the monsters mouth, and gave it a hearty tug. It didn't budge. Very slowly, he swallowed, and ate the rest of the pie.

Lily sat down at an unoccupied space in the table, hit her head repeatedly on the table, and said to herself, "I have no idea how I survived watching him eat like that for eight years. And he ate more when we all lived in the apartment together than when he ate at Hogwarts."

"That wasn't my fault!" Sirius said, and looked at her. "Do you have any more pies?"

"No!" She cried out hysterically.

"Sirius," Remus and James started calmly, and James sat at the other unoccupied space at the table. They continued together, "no more pies, you'll get fat."

He looked up at them with his cheeks full. "I have fast metabolism," he said spitting almonds on the boys.

James turned and looked at Lily. "When did we get almonds?" She looked up and said, confused, we have almonds?

"Well," Sirius said, shoving another handful of almonds in his mouth, "you do now!"

* * *

He clenched his hand tighter around his wand as he stared hard at Tom Riddle. Death Eaters, he had no idea how all of them didn't die when Remus killed them, surrounded them, cracking their knuckles threatening, and shouting out insults to him to try and distract him. They held his best friend as a prisoner, and he saw her, tied to a tree, stripped down practically naked against the tree, sobbing. She was the only one alive, that he knew of. And he would fight for her. So they dueled. This time it was different thought. They were going to fight to the death.

* * *

James looked up at the sky for the first time since Remus shown up. That was two months ago, three full moons had passed, but he didn't change at all. How odd… and the next oddest thing was happening today. It was raining, in Heaven. He had no idea, for it was always very pleasant, the sun shining and the trees whispering. But the sky was dull and black, the thunder rolled but there was no lightening, and it was pouring rain.

But he was still out on the porch. "Why is it raining?" He asked himself under his breath, before getting up and walking into the house. He went past the kitchen, where Remus, Sirius and Lily were all pondering over the meaning of life (Sirius thought it was sex and chocolate) and climbed the spiral stairs to the second floor, then walked to the end of the hall to his and Lily's bedroom. It was chaotically organized, and he knew where everything was. He slunk toward Lily's dresser, opened the top drawer, dug through all the lingerie, and found a small mirror. He smiled happily, shut the drawer carefully, and then fled out of the house and to the well.

Cautiously, he leaned over the well backward, and then looked in the mirror, trying to find the picture he needed to see. What was in the well showed the future, and it was magic that people, muggles, long ago had some how discovered. And it was the only magic that worked in Heaven, and he needed to know why God was crying.

The rain was messing with the picture in the well, and James had to really squint to see what was in the well. A boy, he saw a boy. And the boy was surrounded by at least fifty men, all in black. And the boy was standing right in front of a man, who for James even in Heaven could feel the evil that radiated off him.

"You can't kill me, Tom!" The boy shouted, and James almost fell into the well in shock. He couldn't hear the boy in reality, but he heard the boy's voice and his words inside his head. The voice sounded exactly like his. Curious…

"I can, Potter, and I will. You'll die exactly like your father did. Protecting." He spat it out, and James started shaking in terror he knew that wasn't all his own. "Its Pathetic. Just like your dammed father. Should we kill the boy first, my good gentlemen, or make him cry, making him watch us harm his pretty little _mudblood_?" There were grunts that echoed in his head, and James had to admit, what would seem like mindless goons on their own sounded like an army of trained killers. James shivered, and it wasn't because of the rain.

"Girl! Girl! Girl!" The black cloaked people started chanting, stomping their feet with it.

"Peter!" The man shouted, and a short man scurried forward. "Get the girl," he growled. The boy started to run forward, but the man flicked his wand at him, and the boy was instantly encased in ropes and was flat on his back. He was screaming, desperately, and the girl's scream mixed with his while she was being brought forward, seven men carrying her, holding her up in places that no one should be allowed to touch without her permission.

"Hm…" The man said scratching his chin with a long white finger. "Who should go first?" The men all around them howled, screaming their own names and pointing fingers. "I know!" He said, hushing them all. "Malfoy, Lucius!" He barked, and the tall man slid forward with an odd grace.

"Thank you master," he said, bowing low and kissing the hems of the mans feet, before pulling the hood of his robe back, reveling ice blonde hair and even lighter blue eyes. He grinned maniacally at the girl, who was magiked onto a platform; her legs and arms attached to chains. She cried harder, and the boy, still on the ground, was screaming his outrage, but his threats and insults and pleads were going unheeded.

* * *

"Please!" The boy called, trying to get up. "I'll do anything, just let her go!"

Voldemort looked over at the boy, his thin lips going back into a grin that showed his hideous teeth. He was about to say something, when Lucius, in his moment, called, "bring your mother back, boy! She must have been a much better fuck then this, mudblood. But she was one too!" He laughed, uproariously. "Your father must have had the time of his life each time they had their intimate relations." He sneered the last words. He looked back to the girl, talking to Harry, but seemed to tell the group what he wanted more than anything. "Feel that flesh writhe beneath my hands," he said, tracing the girls curves. "The scream of our ecstasy, or _mine_ rather, as we peaked," moving himself lower, until his head was between the girls legs, his fingers tracing her inner thighs. "The fire she would create in my veins whenever we would kiss…" he trailed off, biting the girl's thighs, making her scream louder.

"Don't indulge your fantasies in Hermione, and don't tell me what you wanted to do with my mother." Harry spat, breaking the spell on his ropes, and charging to Lucius. He punched the man in the jaw, making him fly of the girl and the platform, falling headfirst off it, and Harry heard the satisfaction of the neck breaking. "My parents, my Lily and James and Remus and Sirius and Hagrid and Dumbledore were better than all of you could ever think or dream of being!"

* * *

James stared, horrified. Who was this boy? "I'm better than all those muggle loving fools would ever be, Potter, so don't tell me I'm not."

Harry grinned haphazardly trying to hold off all the goons and protect the girl and have a seemingly casual conversation with Voldemort. He was holding up well. He finally zapped half the Death Eaters with that wretched Unforgivable and all the others backed away as Voldemort stepped forward. Then the picture hazed, and all he heard from it was screams.

James jumped back from the well and felt the mirror in his hand crash in the grass. And very slowly, he leaned forward over the well, and cried, mixing his tears with God's.

* * *

He was tired, he was crying, and he was looking for Hermione. She wasn't there, and he had no idea where she was. He didn't know how he showed up here, or even why, but he were stuck in these damn woods and didn't know how to get out. So he kept moving in the one direction that his heartstrings were beckoning him to. He fell after tripping over some brambles, and kept falling. In fact, he felt that he was going to fall forever, for it seemed that way. He rolled past a bunch of dirt roads, and he saw people walking on them, but he didn't stop, until he just… did. He suddenly stopped rolling and came to a halt, and he tumbled out onto the dirt road. It was the dead of night, and a crescent moon hung in the sky.

* * *

For one night in the past sixteen years, James Potter was not out on his porch. He was fast asleep in his bed with his wife. Who, he was happy to say, smelled like freshly baked pies. He really had no idea why that, in the past sixteen years, she had the urge to make all of the Marauders pies. He never questioned it, no he wouldn't. If it was her hobby, then, hell, he should be proud that she makes good pies!

Okay, why was he fighting with himself about Lily's obsession with making pies? He would have none of that. But, he was already awake, so why not go to his porch. Just to look? He slowly tried to ease Lily out of his grasp. As soon as he was about to tiptoe out of their room, she rolled over, her eyes wide. "You will not leave our bed tonight. You're always leaving; you never spend the whole night, if you spend the night at all. What are you waiting for out there?"

He said it to her very softly, "the Inevitable." He kissed her cheek, and left reluctantly. She watched him go, threw a little hissy fit, but snatched up his pillow, breathed in his scent, and then held it to her chest before nodding off.

* * *

Harry staggered up to the house, the only one he could see that was in sight. It was a very nice house, he reckoned with himself. It stood out against the blackness of the night. He tripped, stumbling up the stairs, and collapsed into the rocking chair near the door, facing the forest he escaped out of. And that was when he slept.

* * *

James opened the screen door wide and shut it quietly. Remus slept on the couch in the quaint living room right next to the porch, and Sirius slept in the bedroom on the other side of the hall from his and Lily. He walked silently, but then stopped, and stood stock-still. A mop of black hair was leaning against the back of his rocking chair, and the person was breathing deeply. Good, he's alive. James immediately smacked himself in the forehead. Of course he's alive, he's in Heaven.

He slowly moved forward so he was right in front of the boy, and knelt down, staring at him hard. He looked exactly like James, though the boy's nose a little bit shorter. But other than that, they could have been twins. That was, until the boy opened his eyes. He stared right into James, shocked. Okay, big difference. James, hazel or a color like toffee, was staring into the boys, the deepest and darkest emerald like…Lily's.

"Hello," the boy said calmly. "Am I sitting on your porch? I'm sorry. I just needed a place to sleep. I was very tired. I'll just be going-?"

James cut him off, as the boy was about to get up. He grabbed his arm and sat him back down in the rocking chair. "No, that's all right. I'm sure you can stay here." James stuck out his hand and grinned. "I'm James, by the way. James Potter."

The boy almost fainted. But he stuck out his hand for James to shake. "Well, if you're James Potter, than I must be Harry James Potter. Your son." James grabbed him around the shoulders, and hugged him tight.

"Welcome home, my boy." He told him, and Harry smiled into James shoulder weakly.

"Is mum here?"

"Lily? Yes, she's upstairs sleeping."

"Sirius?" Harry breathed out.

"Yup."

"Remus?"

"On the couch in the room right behind you." Harry cried fitfully into James' shoulder, and James rocked him.

"You would have been the greatest father in the world." Harry sobbed out. James smiled watery.

"Lily would have been the better parent. I would of flung you on a broomstick at age two and sailed around the world."

"I wish you did," Harry mumbled.

Remus stumbled out onto the porch, rubbing his eyes with his fists. "What's all the fuss out- Harry!" He cried out loudly, and fell to his knees, and hugged both James and Harry.

And it was all a big group hug and it was one of the first days in Heaven that someone cried that wasn't God.

And then came Lily. She didn't realize that there were three men on her porch hugging and crying. So she ran out of the porch, tripped over the closest leg, Remus', and fell right into the middle of the huddle. And there she landed face to face with Harry. "Mum!" He cried, his eyes shining, and unraveled his arms from James and Remus and wrapped them tightly around Lily. She hugged back, smiling and crying looking at James and Remus, who were crying and holding each other.

"Come on! What's the deal, I'm trying to sleep in there! Who died?" Sirius asked, walking toward them in a daze.

Harry looked up at him and stood up, smiling uncertainly. "I did."

Sirius' eyes watered as he looked at Harry. "You grew," he finally choked out.

"Yeah, eighteen and nothing to show for it. Makes you want to cry, doesn't it?"

"You shouldn't have died Harry!" Sirius burst out, sitting heavily in the old, white rocking chair, putting his head in his hands.

"He was gone, Sirius! I killed him just before he killed me. It was over, we both died."

"What… what about everyone else?" Sirius said, looking up.

A stray tear fell down Harry's cheek and fell to the ground. "There was no one else. Everyone was gone. Everyone is gone. And…" He sniffed and sunk to his knees. "Hermione died right before I did. I watched her fall, Voldemort killed her, and I just stared at her body, and the anger about how many that I loved died, and my love exploding in my heart, telling me I can bring her to a better place, I'll meet her there. I said the spell a scant half-second before Voldemort did. And I fell; watching him hit the ground in a cloud of black dust. And I knew, that he was going to Hell to be ripped limb by limb by the hounds of Hell, and I… I would be sent to Purgatory, hoping for Heaven. She isn't here!" He wailed.

They all cried for him. And, especially the girl they were crying for.

* * *

She came five days after Harry arrived, telling him shyly that she had to visit her parents before she visited his. He grabbed her hand from where she stood right in front of the steps of porch, and led her through the cottage to introduce her to James and Lily, and reintroduce the very handsome looking seventeen year olds that are Remus and Sirius.

James and Lily talked with her politely, while Remus and Sirius ran to her and swept her off her feet and hugged her tight. Sirius, spontaneously, gave her a fat wet kiss on the mouth, leaving her blushing and hiding slightly behind Harry. Remus, being the ever gallant boy he was, smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hermione, Mum and Dad. Mum and Dad, Hermione."

Lily chuckled as she wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder like an old friend. "So this is the gal that Harry talks about every second and Sirius and Remus moan about in their dreams, eh?" All the boys blushed, and James bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

Hermione held up her front. "Apparently I am." Then she looked at the boys, smiled shyly, but winked roguishly.

"Ah well," Sirius said, straightening his shoulders to make them look broader, "if Harry ever gonna treat you bad, you can come on over to best friend Padfoot."

"Or me!" Remus said, standing up and wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist. "Thing is though, if ya need to talk, you gotta come to me, because if you go to Padfoot there," He said, jabbing his thumb over in Sirius' direction, "he might wanna do more than talking, if you know what I mean."

"Okay!" Harry said defensively, taking Hermione's hand and pulling her tighter to him. "I think we'll just go and I can have the awkward introductions with Hermione's parents now!"

Lily unwrapped her arm from Hermione's shoulders, and said. "Okay, you can always talk to me or Remus or James. And Harry, well, you know what you can do with Harry." Harry and Hermione both blushed crimson. "Just… don't see Sirius alone, kay? He'll be a little vixen."

"Hey!" Sirius said, stomping his foot with a pout on his face.

"Right…" Harry trailed off. "Bye Da, Mum, Remus and Sirius." And then he grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the house, letting the door swing shut just before they erupt in laughter.

Five months later, Harry and Hermione built themselves a little cottage that was right next to the Rabbits' Hole.

James didn't need to sit out on the porch anymore. The Inevitable already arrived.

A rocking chair painted white rocked on a wood front porch of a two-story cottage. It rocked on its own.


End file.
